Cane is hand selected for consistent color, unblemished by spots, and to keep the growth direction of the cane properly oriented. A unique strength grading system allows us to provide three sub-strengths for every numerical half strength. This produces reeds that have tremendous consistency within a box, so your yield of good reeds should be much better than what you get with reeds made by the "big companies ". You can find the sub-strength on our "seal of quality" on the back of the box. This seal shows a lot number that allows us to track harvest date, plantation, and sub-strength for better quality control.

While playing on Vandoren mouthpieces and reeds for years after earning my Masters Degree in clarinet, I found for myself that the most closed facing Vandoren mouthpiece was not letting me blow freely, anymore. So, I branched out and tried other mouthpieces. I found that a Chris Hill mouthpiece was the easiest blowing mouthpiece, and that I had made my best sound in my life along with being able to articulate with ease and do legato playing, effortlessly. Now, the CH model I had bought from Chris had a very closed facing, because I asked him for it, and the reeds that worked with this mouthpiece and made me so happy were the Zonda strength 5 R. I cant find the strength 5 R anywhere, anymore, but I stand by Zonda reeds. They are fantastic. It is hard to explain how these reeds just respond differently, and I wish they would make 5 Rs, again. I now have another very closed facing mouthpiece from Chris and one by Ridenour. They both play well with the Australian Vintage reeds and the few Zonda 5 Rs I have left in my stash, but they are discontinued, now, also. So, Im continuing to experiment and try to find reeds like the Zonda 5 Rs that allow me to blow so freely and have fun playing the clarinet, again. [Vandorens are fantastic, too, but for me, these reeds have something even more magical about them.] Maybe I will go back and try a Vandoren M15/13, again, with a Zonda 4 O, P, or Q, or I will ask CH for another model 01, and try that with the Zonda 4 O, P, or Q. I hope this post was helpful to somebody.